With the Min's destructive flow tamed, thousands of acres of marshland were transformed into the nation's granary, all of it nourished by a plentiful supply of diverted river water.
And when a high flow is followed immediately by a precipitous drop, precious insect life is stranded to die on exposed gravel beds, thus depleting the food supply of the river.
Generally speaking, the total supply of water in river basins or aquifers is non-expandable (Seckler, 1996).
As already stated, the vegetation cover is an important factor in the control of erosion and supply of sediment to rivers.
France has also set up a monitoring committee for its energy industry, as the authorities are concerned about the impact on electricity supplies and the control of river flows.
Hybridising an ecosystem-based approach with engineered methods can simultaneously increase the security of rural livelihoods, piped urban and irrigation supplies, and the vitality of river ecosystems and their services to beneficiaries.
The essay cited a few drawbacks — flooded cultural relics, displaced populations — but the author went on to assert that these were easily outweighed by the benefits of better flood control, a greater supply of electricity, and improved river transportation.
It is also possible to decrease silting of reservoirs and ponds where erosion has increased the supply of fine sediment in river basins (Rey, 2009).
